james p



PATENTED FEB. 23 1904.

J. P. SNEDDON. LANTERN AND LANTERN PLUG FOR WATER TUBE BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1903.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATE Patented February 23, 1904.

PATENT "OF ICE.

JAMES P. SNEDDON, OF BARBERTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE STIRLING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LANTERN AND LANTERN-PLUG FOR WATER-TUBE BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,871, dated February 23, 1904:.

Application filed January 24, 1903. Serial No. 140,348. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. SNEDDON,2L resident of Barberton, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lanterns and Lantern- Ilugs for Water-Tube Boilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

the two and nevertheless so that the plug and lantern can be readily assembled or taken apart.

The well-known Niclausse water-tube boiler comprises a series of headers each of which is provided with a diaphragm dividing the same into two longitudinal chambers, one behind the other, which communicate at their upper ends with a steam and water drum. The front and rear walls of the header, together with the diaphragm, are provided with alining openings, and in these openings is placed askeleton frame or lantern, as it is called, which forms a tight joint with and closes the openings in the header-walls and which is adapted to have the outer tube connected to its rear end. This tube is closed at its rear end, and in it is located the inner or circulating tube, having its rear end open and extending nearly to the rear closed end of the outer tube. The forward end of the inner circulating-tube extends into the lantern as far as the diaphragm and is there connected to a frame, which in turn is provided with or attached to a plug securedin a collar at the forward end of the lantern. The usual way of connecting the plug to the lantern is by threading the former into the latter.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved lantern or outer tube and lanternplug therefor. so constructed as to provide an absolutely tight joint between the same, but

which will nevertheless permit the parts to be quickly and easily assembled or taken apart.

To these ends my invention consists, generally speaking, in forming a conical seat on the inner surface at the forward end of the outer tube or lantern and providing the plug with a plain outer face adapted to bear against this conical seat and form a tight joint therewith, suitable means being provided for forcing said plug inwardly against the conical seat and holding it in engagement therewith.

The invention also consists in providing the inner end face of the plug with a groove or recess, leaving an outer annular shell or wall bearing against the conical seat in the outer tubeor lantern, and into which groove or recess the steam-pressure will enter and expand the annular shell or wall outwardly against the conical seat in the outer tube or plug, thus insuring an absolutely tight joint at this place.

The invention also consists in forming a spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders on the forward end of the outer tube or lantern and providing the plug with a projection or projections adapted to engage said spirallyarranged shoulder or shoulders and which on the rotation of the plug will ride along said shoulder or shoulders and force the plug inwardly into tight engagement with the conical seat in the outer tube or lantern.

The invention also consists in certain de tails of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of the header, showing my improved lantern and lantern-plug therein. Fig. 2is a plan view of the forward part of the lantern. Fig. 3 is a front view of the lantern with the plug in place; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the forward parts of the lantern and plug,

showing a modification of the means for holding the latter in place. 1

The front wall of the header is shown at 1, the rear wall at 2, and the diaphragm at 3.

These walls and diaphragm are provided with the alining openings 1,5, and 6, respectively. The openings 1 and 5 are provided with seats 7 and 8, which are slightly conical and taper from the front toward the rear. In these alining openings is the skeleton frame or lantern 10, which is or may be of the usual construction, that shown being provided with a collar 11 at its forward end making a close fit with the seat 7, a collar 12 opposite the diaphragm, but not necessarily making a close fitwith the same, and a rear collar 13, which has the outer water-tube 14 attached thereto in any suitable way, such as by being threaded thereon. Either the rear collar 13 or the forward end of the tube 14 has a tight fit with the seat 8.

Inside of the tube 1a is the inner or circulating tube 15, which extends into the header and lantern as far as the diaphragm 3. At this point it is connected to another skeleton frame 16, which at its forward end is provided with or attached to a plug 17. The latter may, if desired, be an integral portion of the frame 16; but it is preferred to make the same in a separate piece therefrom, as is shown, and to attach the same to said frame by means of a swivel connection 18, so that the plug can rotate independently of the frame and inner circulating-tube.

All of the parts of the header and inner and outer circulating tubes and of the lantern and lantern-plug so far described are or may be of the usual or any described construction, and, in fact, the lantern itself may be dispensed with, as the outer tube may be projected forwardly through the header and made to take the place of the lantern by having suitable openings cut through its .walls to afiord communication with the chambers in the header and by having its forward end provided with the means hereinafter described for-securing the plug thereto. The lanternplug and .the lantern or outer tube, as the case may be, will differ from those usually employed in the particulars now to be described.

The forward collar 11 of the lantern 10 has a seat 20 formed on its inner face, which seat is slightly conical, as shown, and tapers toward the rear. The plug 17 is provided with a plain outer face 21, which bears against the conical seat 20 when the plug is forced inwardly, this face 21 of the plug preferably being cylindrical or formed on a taper slightly less than the conical seat 21, so that the inner end of said face alone will bear against the conical seat 20, thus insuring a perfectly tight joint between the plug and .seat 20 when the former is forced inwardly into engagement with the latter. To still further insure an absolutely tight joint at this point, the plug is provided on its rear end face with a groove or recess 22, cut therein to a considerable depth and so located as to leave a comparatively thin annular wall or shell 23 surrounding the same. The steam and water pressure will enter the groove or recess 22 and expand the wall or shell 23 outwardly against the seat 20, and the greater the pressure in the header the tighter will the wall 23 be forced against the seat 20, thus insuring an absolutely tight joint at all pressures.

Various means may be employed for forcing the plug 17 inwardly into engagement with the seat 20 and holding the same in place; but I prefer to use some means which will permit the plug and lantern to be quickly and easily put together or taken apart.- As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the forward collar 11 of the lantern is provided on its outer face with ribs or projections 24, which have their inwardly-facing edges or shoulders 25 formed on a spiral. Two similar ribs or projections 24 are shown, divided by the intermediate spaces 26; but it will be understood that any number of such ribs or projections may be employed. The spiral shoulder 25 of one of these projections is shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and that of the other projection in dotted lines. It will be seen that these spiral shoulders do not form a continuous spiral, but rather two separate spirals; but it will be understood that in place of these separate spirals the shoulders might be formed so as to provide a single continuous spiral and that any number of intermediate spaces 26 may be employed.

The plug 17 is provided with a projection or projections 27, corresponding in number to the intermediate spaces 26, two being shown, which projections are provided at their ends with the overhanging inwardly-extending lips 28, which are adapted to pass through the intersecting spaces 26 and engage the spiral shoulders 25, so that on the rotation of the plugfor instance, to the position shown in Fig. 3-the lips 28 will ride along the spiral shoulders 25, thus forcing the pluginwardly. This rotation will continue until it is arrested by the face 21 coming into firm engagement with the conical seat 20 in the lantern, and by means thereof these parts can be forced into tight engagement to insure a tight joint. The lips 28 will preferably be formed slightly on a spiral to correspond with the spiral trend of the shoulders 25. If the shoulders 25 are formed as a single continuous spiral, one of the lips 28 will be placed somewhat farther away from the forward end of the plug than the other of said lips, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 1 I show modified means for forcing the plug 17 inwardly and holding it in place. In this modification the outer end of the collar 11 of the lantern is provided with the internal threads 30. The plug 17 is formed comparatively-short, as shown, and an externallythreaded disk 31 is screwed into the outer end of the collar, thus forcing the plug inwardly and holding it in place. The disk 31 is provided with a polygonal opening 32 or other means for receiving a suitable tool, by means of which the disk can be screwed in and out.

Any suitable means may be employed for holding the plug and lantern in the header. I have shown for this purpose the usual yoke 38, bearing against the plug 17 and the bolt 30, by means of which the said plug and lantern can be forced inwardly into the header and form tight joints at the seats 7 and 8 in the front and rear walls of the header.

The manner of constructing the plug and lantern and of assembling and disassembling the same will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The connection be tween the plug and the lantern is such that an absolutely tight joint is formed and the means for holding these parts together are such that they can be easily and quickly connected or disconnected.

It will be understood that certain modifications in the construction can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Forinstance, instead of having the lantern 10 separate from the outer tube 14 said lantern might be formed on the outer end of the tube, so that the outer tube would project through the header and have formed in its forward end the conical seat for the plug and the spiral ribs or shoulders, which are engaged by the holding means on the plug. It

will be understood that the arrangement of holding means shown in Figs. 1 to 3 might be reversedthatis, the projections or lips 28 might be formed on the lantern or outer tube and the spirally-arranged shoulders 25 on the plug. All such modifications are considered to be within the scope of my invention.

WhatI claim as my invention, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of an outer tube or lantern provided with a conical seat on its innerface, a lantern-plug provided with a face adapted to bear against said seat, and means on said plug in front of its bearing-face for forcing said plug inwardly and holding it in engagement with said conical seat.

2. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of an outer tube or lantern provided with a conical seat, a lantern-plug provided with a face adapted to bear against said seat and having a groove or recess formed in its rear end face, thus leaving an annular wall or shell surrounding the same, and means on said plug in front of its bearing-face for forcing said plug inwardly and holding it in engagement with said conical seat.

r 3. In a water-tube boiler, the combination 'of an outer tube or lantern provided with a seat for the lantern-plug and having a spirallyarranged shoulder or shoulders formed there on, and a plug adapted to have the inner circulating-tube attached thereto and provided with a face adapted to bear against the seat in the outer tube or lantern and provided in front of its bearing-face with a projection or projections adapted to bear against the spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders.

4:. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of an outer tube or lantern provided with a conical seat on its inner face and having a spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders formed thereon, and a plug adapted to have the inner circulating-tube attached thereto and provided with a face adapted to bear against the conical seat in the outer tube or lantern and provided in front of its bearing-face with a projection or projections adapted to bear against the spirally arranged shoulder or shoulders. i

5. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of a lantern adapted tohave the outer tube connected thereto and having a collar provided with a seat for the lantern-plug and having a spirally arranged shoulder or shoulders formed thereon, and a plug adapted to have the inner circulating-tube attached thereto and provided With a face adapted to bear against the seat in the lantern and provided in front of its bearing-face with a projection or projections adapted to engage the spirallyarranged shoulder or shoulders on the lantern.

6. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of a lantern adapted to have an outer tube connected thereto and having a collar provided with an inwardly-tapering conical seat for the lantern-plug and having a spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders formed thereon, and a plug adapted to have the inner circulatingtube attached thereto and provided with a face adapted to bear against the seat in the lantern, and provided in front of its bearing-face with a projection or projections adapted to engage the spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders on the lantern.

7. In a water-tube boiler, the combination of an outer tube or lantern provided with a seat for the lantern-plug and having a spirally-arranged shoulder or shoulders on its outer surface, said shoulder or shoulders being intersected by grooves 01" spaces, and a plug adapted to have the inner circulating tube attached thereto and provided with a face adapted to bear against the seat in' the outer tube or lantern and provided with a radial projection or projections having overhanging lips adaptedto engage the spirallyarranged shoulder or shoulders on the outer tube or lantern.

8. A lantern for a water-tube boiler, comprising a skeleton frame adapted to have an outer tube connected to its rear end and provided atits forward end with a collar having a conical seat formed on its inner face and provided on its outer face with a rib or ribs 5 having their inner edges or shoulders formed on a spiral.

9. A plug for a Water-tube boiler comprising-a disk-like body having a smooth outer face to engage a seat in the lantern or outer tube and provided with a radially-projecting IO portion or portions having inwardly-projecting lips on their outer ends.

In testimony whereof I, the said JAMES P. SNEDDoN, have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES P. SNEDDON. Witnesses:

E. E. BAKER, RENIoK M. BELL. 

